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Growing Diamonds for Better Information Security

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the homegrown-security dept.

hip2b2 writes "NetworkWorld is running an article that describes how a University of Melbourne research group is developing technology to make fiber optics communications more secure. The technology is based on Quantum Cryptography principles and requires than absolutely only one photon gets sent at any given time. Today, fiber optic systems do not send one photon at a time. They only approximate it. This makes current systems unsuitable for their secure communications technology. Therefore, the group uses artificially grown diamonds to achieve this."

3 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Re:They wont like this... by bmo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Er, "artificial" diamonds are just as real as "real" diamonds. It's a face-centered cubic carbon crystal lattice whether transported up from the mantle by geological forces or manufactured.

    DeBeers will give you all sorts of fud saying that they will eventually have a process for telling the difference between the two, but they won't. Ever.

    --
    BMO

  2. Re:Anything can be stolen by centie · · Score: 4, Informative
    As i understand it...

    No no and no. I'm not meaning to be harsh but everything you said is misunderstood. The point is not to achieve security by doing things really slowly, the point of quantum cryptograhpy (wikipedias quite good) is that if anyone intercepts your photons/information, you know about it. So you can resend the information, using a differenet channel, whatever. It is very important in crypto to be able to guarantee that no-one else has your key.

    If something can be read, and written - it can be copied

    Entirely true in the classical, everyday world, and you'd think so on small scales (individual photons/atoms) too.. but actually wrong. Quantum states cannot be coppied (no cloning theorem). This is where the security of quamtum cryptography lies. There's nothing to stop someone from eavesdropping on your fibre, but if they do intercept anything you know about it. The only way they can get information without you knowing is if you accidently send the information twice, ie two photons in a pulse instead of one. Thats where this research is useful, its anything but pointless.

    I don't see how transmitting single photons at a time as opposed to the millions used today would give a speed increase, the fastest quantum cryptography demonstrated so far achieved a rate of 500b/s, compared to 500Mb/s for normal fibre communication. It's only real purpose is cryptography.

  3. Re:They wont like this... by The_Laughing_God · · Score: 4, Informative
    For many years, starting in 1975, IIRC, the Financial Times of London) did an annual survey of resale values of gem diamonds, by getting offers on actual gems and jewelry from a variety of jewellers and other gem sources. (I believe they still do these periodically, but not annually) They found the 'base value' was about 50% of the "appraised value", even from the originall seller, and actual cash offers were as little as half of the base value. Since then many marketing gimmicks have spread ("Guaranteed to appraise at twice the sale price", "We will buy your diamond back at any time"), but all have had some catch

    (e.g. the 'buyback' may not be cash on the barrelhead, but instead a credit towards a more expensive diamond, making it an upgrade, not a refund. This is very profitable for the jeweller, enabling them to effectively sell you the gem you can afford now vs. a decade ago, to collect additional revenue, while recouping the full 'buyback' price by selling the 'returned' diamond to a new customer at full price)

    Appraised price is meaningless and unattainable, making diamonds a poor investment for those outside the trade.